Conventional motor vehicle doors are comprised of a door inner panel, a door outer panel, and a door guard beam panel joined together and mounted on the vehicle body by a pair of hinges permitting swinging movement of the door between open and closed positions.
The door inner panel is a sheet metal stamping which extends longitudinally the full length of the door and has front and rear end walls which extend outwardly and have flanges over which the door outer panel is hem flanged. The door guard beam panel is adhesively bonded to the door outer panel and has its ends welded or otherwise attached to the end walls of the inner panel.
A door lock assembly is mounted on the rear end wall of the door inner panel and has a latch bolt adapted to engage a striker mounted on the body pillar to latch the door in a closed position. An inside handle assembly is mounted on the door inner panel remote from the door lock assembly and connected thereto by an inside handle connecting rod. In addition, an inside lock handle is mounted in conjunction with the inside handle assembly or separately mounted on the door inner panel and connected to the door lock assembly by a lock rod to lock and unlock the door lock assembly. In some doors, power lock actuators are mounted on the door inner panel to operate the lock rod. Depending upon the geometry of door latch and lock system, bell cranks may be mounted on the door inner panel and cooperate with the rods to translate vertical motion into horizontal motion or vice versa.
Because of variation in the stamped shape of the panels, and variation in the welding, flanging and adhesive assembly operations joining the panels, the location of the rear end wall upon which the door lock assembly is mounted will vary somewhat relative the mounting holes provided in the door inner panel for mounting the inside handle assembly, the power lock actuator and whatever bell cranks might be required. Accordingly, it is common practice that such mounting holes be slotted to enable some adjustment of the mounting location of the inside handle assembly, power lock actuator, etc.
In the vehicle assembly plant, the lock assembly, the inside handle assembly, the power lock actuator, and whatever bell cranks are necessitated by the geometry of the system are independently mounted on the door inner panel by rivets, screws, or the like. The connecting rods extending between the inside handle assembly and the door lock assembly and between the manual inside lock handle or power door lock actuator and the door lock assembly are then snaked through access openings in the door inner panel and the appropriate connections are made. The various actuating elements are then cycled and inspected for proper functioning and any adjustments in the relative mounting locations are made in order to assure proper operation of the door latching and locking functions prior to concealing the inner workings of the door by a trim panel mounted on the inside of the door.
It would be desirable to provide an improved apparatus for assembling of vehicle door lock and handle assemblies in order to eliminate concerns with stamping and assembly variations resulting in variation in the mounting distances between the door lock assembly and the various operating elements and to enable assembly and testing of the door lock assembly and the various operating elements off the assembly line.